Old Lady Dumb Questions

[ArmyMomKat]

Okay, so I'm new and a few things have popped into my mind. How long can you keep your juice sitting around ? Does it eventually go bad? Should you like refrigerate it, if you know your not going to use it? I've already got quite a collection, some of it, is like meh...and probably won't use it for a while. I've had one bottle change color, from clear to a tan. Is this normal? I used it recently and didn't die. It didn't taste any different either. So I figured it was okay. And what is "stealth vaping" (I've seen that term a few times) and how do you sneak a vape, without producing any smoke or vapor? I'm always puffing out great big clouds, and I know I can be seen coming and going.

 

[CBB]

Juice can keep for a while, never really considered how long, but months i"m sure if kept cool and in a dark place. Yes juice will change color, particularly recently made juice, some need to steep, you may find that as a juice gets older it will be much better than when it was new.

Tips for stealth vaping, take a draw a bit shorter than normal and continue to inhale clean air afterward. Hold your breath for about 3 seconds then exhale, there should be nearly no vapor visible, if the vapor is still visible purse your lips like you are going to whistle crating a very small hole between your lips and exhale a bit harder than normal so you can feel a bit of pressure in your mouth, that will make any remaining vapor invisible.

 

[clark8876]

Welcome ArmyMomKat, as CBB said for the juice, cool dark place and it will certainly last several months.

The link below is to a video of the stealth vape method that I use.
YouTube - Double Breath Stealth Vaping Technique

 

[SABOTEUR]

I've wondered about how long juice stays fresh myself. I've developed a habit of transferring juice from larger bottles into sample bottles to carry around. I've noticed that the juice in the larger (blue) bottle always seem fresher. (The instructions that came with this Halo juice advises against refrigeration).

As for "stealth vaping", the vapor we love is purely aesthetic. There's really no need to exhale it, hence, no one has to SEE it if we choose to vape discretely.

 

[ditch.the.pack]

There's no such thing as "dumb" questions! We were all new to this at one point, and all had to learn the terms. There's still a few that confuse me. (I've been here about a month). What matters is that you asked! Anyone who is willing to learn is always good in my book. Someone who asks a defensive question and doesn't want to listen to and consider the answer is the only one I'd consider "dumb."

Welcome to ECF, vaping, and best of luck to you! It's life changing, and comes with a learning curve, but is totally worth it!

~Tara Ann

 

[Stosh]

Welcome to ECF!!

If you're "always puffing out great big clouds" congratulations, it's a good thing. Vape proudly, LOL

 

[Caddyman]

Some nicotine is photo-reactive, I don't think it affects the quality, but it will get darker when exposed to light.

 

[nubee]

From all my reading on storage, and it was a very hot topic during the first 'ban' days, most juice is good for about 18 months when stored in cool/dark place.

Some horror stories on refrigeration and/or freezing as moisture content was an issue. Most suggest treating it like fine wine in the cellar.

Stealth vaping - higher PG = less vapor more throat hit while higher VG = more vapor and less throat hit

 

[HarmonyPB]

Welcome! And feel free to ask any question, nothing is dumb!
Just wanted to say that I have some juice that has printed on it when it was made and when it is "Best used by". The difference is 2 years. But it's probably different depending on ingredients? The 2 yr ones are from V4L, although I'm not sure what ingredients they use.

 

[V4POR LOVE]

I recently found an old bottle of e-juice in my closet while I was moving. I know that the bottle was AT LEAST two years old. I am half-way through the bottle (30ml) now, the flavor is still great and the juice performs "like new".

Along with the juice I also found some cartomizers from the same time period. These, however, were completely unresponsive. I went through almost 15 cartoms, all of which were dead.

 

[malyden]

Cartomizers and cartridges will tend to dry out after a period of time. Juice will store for around 2 yrs if kept in a cool dark place. Do not store it in a fridge or freezer as that can lead to issues. Many liquids will get darker as they age.

 

[dormouse]

Yeah they can change colors and often taste better after that. But don't store in sun or heat - they can go bad. One guy left some in a hot car and said they didn't taste right after that.

Stealth - use lower VG if you are using high VG liquid - VG makes the more visible and persistent vapor. Hold it longer and exhale into your chest through your nose.

 

[Zal42]

About juice storage, general consensus is that your juices should be good for at least a year if stored in a cool place. The juice won't turn to poison or anything, but the nicotine does degrade eventually and the juice's nic level will start to fall. This is a pretty slow process, though.

Juice can change color because of ongoing diffusion of the ingredients, slow chemical reaction between the juice's ingredients, or oxidation (exposure to air turns nicotine increasingly brown over time). Sometimes this improves the juice, but mostly it doesn't affect the taste. The general quality and potency is unaffected.

Also, juice won't mold up or anything. pg itself is a pretty good preservative, and there's not much there for mold to grow on anyway.

Tips for stealth vaping, take a draw a bit shorter than normal and continue to inhale clean air afterward. Hold your breath for about 3 seconds then exhale, there should be nearly no vapor visible, if the vapor is still visible purse your lips like you are going to whistle crating a very small hole between your lips and exhale a bit harder than normal so you can feel a bit of pressure in your mouth, that will make any remaining vapor invisible.

Or, you can just hold your breath longer! I find about 15-20 seconds, and I'm exhaling no vapor whatsoever. I draw normally, not short, but I make sure to inhale some clean air through my nose and mouth, as vapor left in there doesn't dissipate quickly enough and if I don't "flush", I'll emit a single small puff of tell-tale vapor when I exhale.

 

[DC2]

I think the general consensus on shelf-life is around one to two years.
One thing I know for sure though is that sunlight destroys nicotine, so keep the juice out of the sun.

A cool dark place is usually recommended, but as for using a refrigerator or freezer...
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/101050-liquid-kept-refridgerator-ok.html
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/general-e-smoking-discussion/27348-freezing-juice.html
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/175238-can-you-freeze-e-juice.html

 

[ArmyMomKat]

Thanks to everyone for all the answers to my questions.

 

[hairball]

Okay, so I'm new and a few things have popped into my mind. How long can you keep your juice sitting around ? Does it eventually go bad? Should you like refrigerate it, if you know your not going to use it? I've already got quite a collection, some of it, is like meh...and probably won't use it for a while. I've had one bottle change color, from clear to a tan. Is this normal? I used it recently and didn't die. It didn't taste any different either. So I figured it was okay. And what is "stealth vaping" (I've seen that term a few times) and how do you sneak a vape, without producing any smoke or vapor? I'm always puffing out great big clouds, and I know I can be seen coming and going.

If your juice is handmade to order, can keep for 18-24 months. I write the date of purchase on all of my labels when I get juice. China stuff needs to be used up within 6 months since we don't know how long it has been sitting around.

If you're not going to use your juice right away, store in a cool/dark place. Do this also if you find flavors aren't up to par. You may revisit them later only to find that they are good vapes.

Clear to tan in color change is normal...it has steeped. Steeping allows for flavors to blend together with the nicotine.

Stealth vape - inhale and hold it in longer before you exhale.